NewsRegionOakland County

Actions

Metro Detroit middle schoolers leading walkout to protest Congressional inaction

Posted at 9:20 PM, Mar 08, 2018
and last updated 2018-03-09 08:15:54-05

A trio of middle school organizers is taking it upon themselves to rally a march out in protest of Congress.

They’ll join the national movement Wednesday in response to the Parkland, Fla. school shooting.

“What? A mass school walkout by middle schoolers to protest Congress’ inaction to do more than tweet thoughts and prayers after school shootings. We need action," the flyer at Norup Middle School in Oak Park says. They’re aligned with the national movement.

The 3 young ladies behind the effort took the call for action seriously.

Annabel bean, Abby Golembiewski, and Mia Echlin are the young ladies who are inspiring their fellow students at Norup to join others across the country - staging a 17-minute walkout - one minute for each of the 17 students and staff killed during the valentine’s day shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

They know not everyone in the school will join and they don’t claim to have the solutions, but they hope this march will empower those tasked with creating laws – Congress - to find a way to keep them safe.

“We know that this walk out will not change everything and will not stop gun violence like flat out, but I think it is important we get a lot of people on board. Get a lot of people thinking and that will…possibly solve solutions, I mean actually have solutions in the near future to actually end gun violence,” says Echlin.

The principal says the school is adjusting to the march out - and students who choose to join won’t face any consequences.